Cyber Essentials is suitable for any organisation that requires a base-level security certification to demonstrate it has vital controls in place.
Cyber Essentials is also mandatory for businesses seeking UK government-specific contracts; without the certification, your organisation won’t be able to bid for such contracts.
Boundary Firewalls and Internet Gateways
Your first line of defence against an intrusion from the internet will be boundary firewalls and internet gateways. A well-configured firewall can prevent breaches before they penetrate deep into your network. At the same time, an internet gateway can deny users within your organisation to websites or other online services that present a threat.
Secure Configuration
Some setup and configuration will be required to ensure your hardware and software provide the most effective protection. Removing unused software and services from your devices will reduce the number of potential vulnerabilities as older versions of some widespread software have well-documented security vulnerabilities. It is also to ensure that you remove any default passwords used by software and hardware as these are well-known by hackers.
Access Control
Access to your system should be restricted to trusted users, so each of these users must have and use their username and password, which is appropriate to the job they are undertaking at the time. Administrator accounts should only be used when strictly necessary, such as installing known and trusted software.
A brute force password attack is a common method of attack, perhaps even by casual users trying to access your Wi-Fi. Therefore, you need to enforce strong passwords and frequent password changes and limit the number of failed login attempts. Passwords or other access should be cancelled immediately should a staff member leave the company or is absent for long periods.
Malware Protection
Malware is malicious software specifically designed to disrupt or damage a computer system. You should have anti-virus or anti-malware products regularly scanning your network to prevent or detect threats. You will also need to keep them up-to-date and switched on to continually monitor your computer system.
You should also make sure you receive and act upon any alerts issued by the malware protection.
Patch Management and Software Updates
Computer equipment and software need to be maintained regularly to fix any security vulnerabilities and keep it running smoothly. Security software such as anti-virus and anti-malware need regular updates to provide adequate protection. Checking regularly for updates and subsequently applying them will keep your software up-to-date, and most software can also be set to update automatically.
If your system is a few years old, you should review the protection you have to ensure it is still adequate. In between updates, you should use patches to maintain your computer system. A patch is a software designed to update a computer program or its supporting data to fix or improve it. This includes fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs, with such patches usually called bug fixes, and improving usability or performance.
A Cyber Essentials certificate is 12 months certification and should be renewed annually due to the ever changing cyber world.
